Biological Effects of High-Voltage Electric Fields: An Update Volume 1
Authors not listed · 1979
This 1979 EPRI bibliography documented early scientific evidence of biological effects from high-voltage electric fields around power lines.
Plain English Summary
This 1979 EPRI technical report compiled research on biological effects from high-voltage electric fields, focusing on extremely low frequency (ELF) exposures from power lines. As a bibliography and update, it documented the state of scientific knowledge about how electrical fields from power transmission systems might affect living organisms. This type of comprehensive review was crucial for understanding early evidence of potential health effects from electrical infrastructure.
Why This Matters
This 1979 bibliography represents a pivotal moment in EMF research history. The Electric Power Research Institute was systematically documenting biological effects from high-voltage electric fields just as concerns about power line health effects were emerging. What makes this significant is the timing - this was compiled during the early years of serious scientific inquiry into whether the electrical fields surrounding our power infrastructure could affect human health.
The reality is that high-voltage power lines create electric fields that can be thousands of times stronger than typical household exposures. While we're surrounded by 60 Hz electric fields from wiring and appliances in our homes, living near transmission lines means exposure to field strengths that dwarf everyday sources. This early documentation effort helped establish the foundation for decades of research that followed.
Finding
The general findings of this update confirm the conclusion of the 1975 review that it is highly improbable that electric fields from transmission lines have any significant biological effects on healthy individuals who encounter such fields in a normal way under ordinary conditions. However, further research is still needed in order to understand the nature and extent of the effects that could be harmful.
In their words
“The general findings of this update confirm the conclusion of the 1975 review that it is highly improbable that electric fields from transmission lines have any significant biological effects on healthy individuals who encounter such fields in a normal way under ordinary conditions. However, further research is still needed in order to understand the nature and extent of the effects that could be harmful.”
Source
(1979) (1979)Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
To collect and review the literature which has become available since mid-1974 on the subject of biological effects of power frequency electric fields
The findings of this update indicate that power frequency electric fields have no important biologic...
Power frequency electric fields have no important biological effects on healthy individuals who encounter such fields under ordinary conditions. However, the possible occurrence of subtle as yet undetected effects cannot be excluded. Further research is needed to understand the nature and extent of any effects that could be harmful.
Show BibTeX
@article{biological_effects_of_high_voltage_electric_fields_an_update_volume_1_g4950,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Biological Effects of High-Voltage Electric Fields: An Update Volume 1},
year = {1979},
}